I moved out of Boston (born and raised) because the pay and job market stinks compared to the cost of living. $8.50, $10? You all know that the average toll in NYC is about $5-6 in a city where public transportation pretty much covers every area of the city and only costs $2 which includes a free bus/train transfer? I've heard there are less and less people moving to Boston because of the local economy and high cost of living. Everyone is dealing with high gas, groceries, etc. prices, many losing their homes and barely scraping by, more layoffs to come... hey this is a great time to raise tolls... yeah that will solve everything. Soon Boston will be a dustbowl with people traveling downtown only for Patriots and Sox championship parades. Give something back to the people! At least get the trains to run later then last call at most bars.

[Quote]How about ending all the unecessary road work? How can the road need work every summer?

Currently the Mass Pike, 128, route 20 all have road construction is this all needed?[/Quote]

Not a good idea. killing people will only create more traffic, really counter productive. What about raising speeding ticket minimums and get rid of the tolls. Let the jerks pay without jeopardizing mom and dad taking their kids to the grandmas house.

All the more reason we need to eliminate the income tax. Why does a state need two agencies with two separate baords of directors and two separate administration staff to maintain the highways in Massachusetts. Why can't Mass Highway and the Turnpike Authority combine into one agency and eliminate all of the overhead. I guess there are two many firends of politicians who need jobs.

Lets add some new shiny toll-booths to the Southeast Expressway so that the South Shore can contribute. Let those on the South Shore reach down into their pockets for their ride into town. The commuters north and west of Boston have been taking the hit for years.

The $1.25 toll at Allston exit 18 is set up weird. If you driving on i90 and continuing on i90 through Allston, you pay $1.25. If you are getting on/off at the Allston exit, and driving either direction on i90, you still pay $1.25.

Why don't they charge $1.25 for exit 18, and $2.50 for through traffic? It doesn't make sense.

This is an old play on the line from Field of Dreams - "If you build it, They will come". BUT the story of the Big Dig is If you build it, they will pay and pay and pay and pay

The problem is that a shell game was played during the construction of the Big Dig - the Ted Williams Tunnel, Zakim Bridge and O'Neill tunnel were transfered to the Mass Pike - along with their debt. And now the bill is due! mmm - How about getting the Federal Bailout to get us off the hook for this one?

Whatever happened to the proposal to merge MassPike with the Highway Dept.? That might save a few bucks. And yes - all transponder users (not just Fastlane, but also EZ-Pass or similar systems) should get a break given that their cost to pass through the toll gate is zero. If you use a toll taker, you and you alone should be forced to pay that cost.

And $8.50 for the harbor tunnels? Seriously? I think the folks in Everet and the surrounding communities are going to have a thing or two to say about a massive influx of traffic coming through their towns when folks (like me) take the long way onto 93 rather than go through that tunnel!

One last thing - there's a massive environmental cost to slow-moving, idling cars and stop and go traffic that would be created if cars moved off the Pike and onto secondary roads. Cars are more efficient and less polluting when they're moving at high rates of speed than when they brake and accelerate. Simple science on that. The "green" folks need to get over the notion that "cars are bad" and get on board with increasing travel speeds and reducing idling time of auto traffic. Cars are here at least for the short and medium term, and we need to take common sense steps toward reducing their impact.

So this sounds a little hypocritical coming from a cop's wife (they are getting rid of details) but honestly at least my husband provides a service, why don't we elimnate the toll taker positions (minus 1 or 2 supervisors per toll) and offer them first crack at the flagger positions. This way we aren't putting them out of work entirely and we DO NOT NEED to raise tolls. I think it's pretty funny that the Pike was suppose to be toll free as of a few years ago.

This threat of raising the tolls is a cover for the real action that is going to happen. Great Public Relations folks worked on this. After this shock tactic is done everybody will think eliminating the reduced toll for having a transponder will look like a great option. Sneaky, but effective presentation. Bravo!

Enough of the insanity. Every single state rep and senator should be defeated. They have all failed us, by not representing our interests. Now, I here more doom and gloom on state finances. Exactly where is all the money going? This is a total and utter scam. I refuse to take the Pike. The folks allowing this scam to go on unchecked should be held in criminal contempt.

Does any of the people running our state have any clue as to what the common person goes through?

What needs to happen is the pensions need to be stopped, everyone on a 401K with a match %. Bust the unions. no one on a governemnt salary should be in a union. Hold our elected people accountable. DO NOT VOTE for the same idiots responsible for reckless spending, toll hikes when not justified, and every other scheme. Run the state like a private business. Put the workers on shifts other than the completely dumb 8-5 shift. Put an overtime ban in after that. Fire those disgraceful state workers who because they work for a union can act like damn fools. Thy can be slow, rude, indifferent, whatever.

Finally, establish new buyback rules: Sicktime is ued in the year it is given, or lost. Vacation time cannot be saved after 200 hours- use it (which I am sure they do alreaduy. It is called a scam). No management gets sicktime. Period. That is why you are exempt folks.

They are crazy! That's 44% and 58% increases, respectively. Why can't they just do it they same way we get cost of living increases in salaries? 2 1/2% a year. It's stupid to keep the price the same for years, then zap everyone at once with these massive increases.

as it is now, I find nothing but lane/road closures on my way into and home from work each day. Particulary irksome is the constant closure of exit 24 connecting the TWT westbound to I-93 north and south. I work nights and have to go through South Boston 80% of the time to reach my job at a well-known newspaper in Dorchester. I have even complained to Mass Highway via e-mail and have been told that things will not change and that I should simply get used to the huge inconvenience.

Given all of the above, why should I pay more for a roadway that causes me nothing heartache. This toll hike idea is absurd, immoral, and should be shot down by our politicians before it gains any further momentum.

Raise the gas tax for heaven's sake. Why should only the residents - and those only from MetroWest and those who use the tunnels have to shoulder this burden when, in fact, everybody - the entire state and all the transients - benefit? And why are toll takers making 70K a year? Come on!

tolls are possibly the worst way to pay for roads. during periods of heavy use, the pike backs up. this congestion is not due to the inability of the road to handle the number of cars. rather, it is caused by cars backed up at the exits, waiting to pay the toll. the worst is the I84 exit, where i have been held up for over 30 minutes. this situation is bad for traffic flow, bad for the environment, and now with the price of gas being what it is, bad for the economy: a lose, lose, lose situation.

roads should be financed by the people who use them via vehicle taxes and perhaps an annual mileage tax, especially on personal vehicles. perhaps if people were made to reckon their driving in terms of tax burden, they'd limit their trips to only essential ones. as it is, i'm convinced most americans would drive to the toilet if they could find a parking space in the bathroom. commercial vehicles should be subjected to a lighter tax schedule, as we all benefit from them.

the very idea that a state should be responsible for the maintanence of interstate roads that cross through it is absurd. it's not as if the pike ends at the new york line: I90 continues clear through to seattle. everyone in the nation benefits from its maintanence.

the other thing i'd suggest is eliminating several gratuitious exits: interstates are for long distance travel, not for going from one town to the next.

tolls have their origin when roads were maintained by private enterprise. as this is no longer the case, it's high time we began to think more progressively about how we pay for them.

The commuter rail is no better. It goes so slow, you want to stab yourself in the eye. How come no one is charging tolls on 93? That road is ALWAYS jammed up and they get away with no commuting costs. We have been paying for the BIG DIG NIGHTMARE too long.

This state is pathetic! Why do the people from the West and East have to pay for the Big Dig...there should be a state wide gas tax to pay for this debacle! When I was born my parents rode on the Pike for the very first time and they said the tolls were only going to be a temporary thing until the road was paid for....what happened to that?!